Drupal 7 to Drupal 11 migration case study: large site migrated in 70 hours

This project involved a large production website with a broad content model, product-related entities, and multiple external integrations.

The full migration from Drupal 7 to Drupal 11, including production launch, was completed in 70 hours.

If you are planning a similar upgrade, this case shows how a structured migration approach can reduce risk, preserve business logic, and shorten the delivery window.

Project context

The legacy website was running on Drupal 7 and had reached the point where further long-term support, security, and feature development no longer made practical sense.

The project included:

  • a large Drupal 7 codebase;
  • several dozen content types with different field structures;
  • product and catalog-related entities;
  • multiple external APIs connected to business workflows;
  • a production environment that required a controlled launch.

The migration goal was not just to “move content,” but to rebuild the platform on Drupal 11 while keeping the business side stable.

Scope and goals

The migration plan focused on preserving core business functionality while upgrading the platform architecture to a modern Drupal 11 stack.

Target state:

  • fully running Drupal 11 website;
  • migrated content and entity relationships;
  • validated API integrations;
  • stable editorial operations after launch;
  • preserved business-critical URLs and content structure.

Tech stack

  • Drupal 11
  • custom migration scripts
  • content model remapping
  • API integration reconnection
  • AI-assisted data preparation tooling

Project size

The exact project details are under NDA, but the migration scope included a large and non-trivial content structure.

Approximate scale:

  • several dozen content types;
  • a large number of custom fields and relationships;
  • product-related structured data;
  • multiple external API integrations;
  • full production cutover and validation.

Key challenges

This was not a simple Drupal version update. The main complexity came from the legacy structure and business dependencies.

Key challenges included:

  • complex legacy field structures across many content types;
  • preserving entity relationships during migration;
  • validating product and catalog-related data after import;
  • reconnecting API integrations without breaking workflows;
  • preserving URL logic to avoid SEO and traffic loss;
  • keeping launch risk under control within a short execution window.

Migration approach

The migration was executed as a structured technical process rather than a blind content transfer.

The delivery approach included:

  1. analysis of the Drupal 7 content model;
  2. mapping old entities and fields to the Drupal 11 target structure;
  3. preparation of migration logic and test runs;
  4. iterative validation of migrated content and relationships;
  5. API reconnection and integration checks;
  6. production cutover;
  7. post-launch QA and stabilization.

This reduced uncertainty during launch and made it possible to focus engineering time on the highest-risk parts of the project.

Execution in 70 hours

The implementation was delivered in one focused execution window of 70 hours.

Work completed during that period included:

  • data model mapping from Drupal 7 to Drupal 11;
  • migration script preparation and execution;
  • content test imports and QA verification;
  • URL validation;
  • API reconnection and integration testing;
  • production launch and post-launch checks.

The speed came from disciplined scope control, practical migration experience, and the ability to automate repetitive parts of the process.

Why this speed was possible

A key factor was practical AI-assisted execution.

AI-assisted tooling was used to speed up selected data preparation and validation tasks during migration. That reduced manual boilerplate work and made it easier to keep engineering focus on migration logic, QA, integration checks, and production launch stability.

In other words, the speed did not come from cutting corners. It came from reducing low-value manual work while keeping the critical parts under direct technical control.

URL preservation

One of the important goals was preserving legacy URL behavior during migration.

Where required, legacy URL logic was validated so that the new Drupal 11 version could keep stable access paths and reduce the risk of SEO losses, broken indexed pages, and traffic disruption after launch.

For projects with existing search traffic, this part is often just as important as the content migration itself.

Result

The site was successfully launched on Drupal 11 with migrated content, preserved core functionality, and restored integrations.

The project outcome included:

  • production-ready Drupal 11 platform;
  • migrated structured content;
  • preserved business-critical relationships;
  • validated API-dependent workflows;
  • stable editorial operations after launch.

From a business perspective, the migration created a foundation for future development without staying locked into an outdated Drupal 7 system.

What this case demonstrates

This case shows that even a large Drupal 7 website can be migrated to Drupal 11 quickly when the work is scoped correctly and executed with a disciplined migration process.

It also demonstrates that the real complexity of migration is usually not the CMS upgrade itself, but the combination of:

  • legacy content structures;
  • integrations;
  • URL and SEO continuity;
  • launch stability requirements.

If you are planning a Drupal migration

If your website is still on Drupal 7, delaying migration usually increases future cost and risk.

A structured migration project helps you:

  • reduce security and maintenance risk;
  • move to a supported architecture;
  • preserve critical content and URLs;
  • reconnect business integrations safely;
  • plan launch with a clear technical scope.

If you need a similar Drupal migration, Drupal upgrade, or Drupal development task, the best starting point is a technical assessment with a clear scope and estimate.

FAQ

How long does a Drupal 7 to Drupal 11 migration usually take?+

It depends on the complexity of the content model, custom functionality, and integrations. Smaller projects can be completed quickly, while large business-critical websites may require a phased migration plan. In this case, the full migration and launch were completed in 70 hours.

Is it possible to migrate directly from Drupal 7 to Drupal 11?+

Yes. A direct migration from Drupal 7 to Drupal 11 is possible when the target architecture, mappings, and migration scripts are prepared correctly.

What is the hardest part of a Drupal migration?+

Usually it is not the content import itself, but the combination of legacy field structures, entity relationships, integrations, URL continuity, and launch validation.

Can SEO rankings be preserved after migration?+

They can often be preserved or stabilized if URL behavior, metadata, redirects, and content structure are handled correctly during migration.

Do large Drupal migrations always require a long timeline?+

No. Some large migrations can be delivered surprisingly fast when the scope is clear, the architecture is well defined, and repetitive work is automated where appropriate.